INSIGHT Magazine

Edition 5, March 2018 English Department IES Costa Teguise

INDEX

ABOUT OUR SCHOOL  ENGLISH BREAKFAST AND INTERVIEWS  WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WHEN YOU FINISH YOUR SECONDARY EDUCATION?

VALENTINE’S DAY

 VALENTINE’S DAY  WHERE DID THE TRADITION OF ST VALENTINE COME FROM?  IT IS WORTH CELEBRATING VALENTINE’S DAY?

CARNIVAL

 A GIRL WINS THE DRAG QUEEN GALA FOR THE FIRST TIME!  CARNIVAL PARADE IN ARRECIFE  THE BURIAL OF THE SARDINE

EASTER

 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ENGLISH AND SPANISH AND .

EQUALITY

 SAME WORLD, DIFFERENT PEOPLE CURIOSITIES

 RELATIONSHIPS  AGÜITA, STOP USING SO MUCH PLASTIC!!!  CYBERBULLYING  ONLINE DATING  A TRIBUTE TO STEPHEN HAWKING  ENGLISH CAN SAVE LIVES: THE MAN THAT WAS SAVED BY US  ART  THINK POSITIVE

SPORT

 VOLLEYBALL IN LANZAROTE  HANDBALL: My perspective.  A MAN COMPLETED TRIATHLON WHILE HE WAS JUGGLING  Basketball? Handball? No, it’s NETBALL!

ENGLISH BREAKFAST AND INTERVIEWS

Some days ago the groups of 3º ESO had a trip around Costa Teguise. First, we went to Big Bobs Restaurant. There we had an amazing English breakfast. NÚMERO 1 After it, we continue our C U R S O trip around 2016-2017 the streets interviewing English people about different traditions related to food in their countries.

Here you can see several pictures of that day.

We also asked the Big Bobs owners, Rob and Julie, some questions about their restaurant.

1. When did it open? In August 2016 2. Where did you get the decoration ideas from? There was another American diner in Playa Bastián, called Fat Lary’s, they were closing so they sold all of their furniture to us. 3. Where does the name come from? The name of the restaurant was the name of the owner’s dad. 4. What is the chef’s favourite plate to cook? The chef loves cooking the steak. 5. Tell us about the food here. It is all American because the owner wanted a 50’s American look. It was number 4 on tripadvisor. 6. What’s the most popular milkshake? The oreo milkshake. 7. What are the busiest days? It changes every week. They have three chefs in the summer. 8. And what is the most popular meal? The pulled pork burger and the chilli cheese fries.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WHEN YOU FINISH YOUR SECONDARY EDUCATION?

In Spain when you have finished ESO, you can choose between three different options: You can work on a place where you do not need many labour preparations for. You can study a middle grade. You can study Bachillerato. Here you can choose from three different models: humanities, science and art. Independently the option that you choose, you will have Spanish language, English Language, Philosophy and Physical Education as compulsory subjects. Then, depending on the model that you choose, you have different optional subjects; if you choose Science you will have maths, if you choose Humanities you will have history and finally, if you choose Art you have History of Art. In each models you have two options: SCIENCE: -Health Science: In this option, you will study biology, geology, physics and chemistry. -Technological and scientific: In this option, you will study technical drawing, physics and chemistry. HUMANITIES: -Social science: in this choice, you will study economics and maths. -Humanities: in this choice, you will study Universal Literature and Latin. ART: You can choose between Plastics Arts and Performing Arts, but in the first year you will have the same subjects, History and audio-visual cultural. The purpose of Bachillerato is to prepare students for EBAU, the exams which determine who is prepared for University.

VALENTINE’S DAY

By Janequa Leal, 1º Bach A

Some people say that Saint Valentine was a Roman martyr who died because he didn´t want to give up his beliefs in . Valentino was a man believer who was refusing to adore the gods Romans and to the population to find out about his attitude, they imprisoned him. Already in the jail the jailer took his daughter Julia, it blocks up, in order that this one was educating her, there for divine work and faith the girl recovered the sight. Time later the centurion prohibited the visits and these two wrote to themselves precious letters, him saying to her that shouldn´t lose the faith. This way, Valentino was hung On February 14 of the year 270 A.D. Then the Saint Valentine left a love note for a girl that he like a lot and he signed the note “From Your Valentine”. As the years passed by, February 14 became the date for exchanging of love messages and Saint Valentine became de patron saint of lovers. The date was marked by sending poems, cards with messages of love, presents and flowers; often couples go for a special Valentine’s Day meal in a restaurant. In America and in the United Kingdom most couples give Valentines cards on Valentine’s Day. Valentine´s Day Typical Quotes: o Be mine o Be my Valentine o I call it magic when I´m with you.

WHERE DID THE TRADITION OF ST VALENTINE COME FROM? By Miren Asla, 1º Bach A

At first it took place only across de United States, but nowadays every February 14 partners, also friends and family exchange sweets, flowers and gifts between people who they love. February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and St. Valentine’s Day contains vestiges of ancient Roman tradition. But there are so many stories about the way that Saint Valentine becomes associated with this ancient rite. The most known story tells that St. Valentine was a man who served an Emperor called Claudius II. This emperor said that the young men were worse soldiers than the others that were older because of love that distracted them. Because of that, the emperor forbade the marriage for young men. St. Valentine realized the injustice, and started to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. Claudius II discovered Valentine’s actions and ordered to kill him. St. Valentine’s Day is celebrated to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death and to remember the lovers.

IT IS WORTH CELEBRATING VALENTINE’S DAY? By Tania Bragaña, 1º Bach A

Many people prepare around the world to celebrate Valentine’s Day, but is it really worth celebrating it? There are people who do not see the meaning of this celebration, as it seems a commercial creation that only has the purpose of increasing sales of flowers and chocolates. There is no reason for which we should demonstrate our love in such a precise date; we should demonstrate it the 365 days of the year. Loving yourself and others does not imply an exact date in the calendar. However, I also think that every opportunity to celebrate love has to be well received, so since we have this day, maybe it is a good one to say ‘I love you’ to someone near you.

A GIRL WINS THE DRAG QUEEN GALA FOR THE FIRST TIME!

By María Garrido, 1º Bach A

One of the most important events of our Carnival here in Lanzarote and in the Canary Islands is the Drag Queen Gala. And some of you maybe don’t know what a drag queen is. A Drag Queen is usually a man who dresses with exaggerated and colorful costumes, big wigs and super high heels. They act in a stage, dance and perform stunts to amaze the public.

The Drag Queen Gala is an event where different Drags participate and show their acts and a jury decides who the winner is. This year things have changed at the gala that was held on February 5th at the Arrecife Fairgrounds with twelve participants, where most of them came from Gran Canaria. It was the first time in Lanzarote that a girl participated. The bases of the contest to be a Drag Queen of the carnival do not specify the gender of the aspirant but along the history only boys had participated. This year, this girl, Drag Noa, or Norma Ruiz Brito, not only had the opportunity to participate but she was the winner of this enchanted carnival gala of 2018.

CARNIVAL PARADE IN ARRECIFE

By Josué Curbelo, 2º ESO D

Every year during Carnival there is a parade where you can see a lot of floats and thousands of people on their customes. There are also prizes for the best floats. Here are the winners of this year carnival.

1stPRIZE. A float based on the film Coco, about the Mexican day of the dead won the first prize. The float featured a demon’s face, there was a skeleton playing a guitar and it was surrounded by dozens.

2ndPRIZE. A float based on the film Miles from tomorrowland, which is about a spatial adventure won the second prize. The float featured a demon's face and a spaceship.

3rdPRIZE. A float based on the film Monsters, about monsters that scare children won the third prize. The float featured a demon's face, a big blue monster and a large green monster too. All the people went on blue costumes.

THE BURIAL OF THE SARDINE By Cristina Saiz, 1º Bach A

The Burial of the Sardine is an old tradition that is celebrated in Spain and in some countries of Hispano- America. It is a ceremony which announces the end of the carnivals. The colour and the party are changed by mourning and sadness. It is traditionally celebrated on Ash Wednesday. The streets are filled with floats and one of them carries a dead giant sardine. People dress in black; they go in mourning because the sardine has died. The burning of the sardine symbolizes forgetting the bad of the past and facing with renewed hopes and desires the future, the past is symbolically buried so that a better society can emerge. The burial of the sardine serves to dismiss the carnival and receive : that is the forty days in which the Catholic Church prepares to live the mysteries of the passion, death and resurrection of Christ in Holy Week.

The Enchanted Carnival of Arrecife 2018 ended with the burial of the sardine on Wednesday, February 14. Many people came to say goodbye to the carnival. The funeral departed from the Town Hall at 6:00 p.m. to the Maritime Park, where they would burn the sardine at 8:00 p.m. During the tour murgas, batucadas and the winning floats participated. The winning murga carried the sardine on its shoulders. When they reached the end of the road, they burned the sardine while the people were “crying”. After the burning of the sardine there were fireworks that put an end to the party until next year.

EASTER

By Tessa Guyot, 1º Bach A

Easter, which is also called Pascha (Greek,Latin) or Resurrection Sunday, is a festival and holiday celebrating the resurrection of from the dead. Most Christians refer to the week before Easter as “Holy Week”. Easter and the holidays are moveable feasts which do not fall on a fixed date in the Gregorian or Julian calendars. Easter customs vary across the Christian world, and include sunrise services, exclaiming the , clipping the church, and decorating Easter eggs (symbols of the empty tomb). Additional customs that have become associated with Easter and are observed by both Christians and some non-Christians include egg hunting, the , and Easter parades. There are also various traditional Easter foods that vary regionally. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ENGLISH AND SPANISH HOLY WEEK AND EASTER.

Depending on the country where it is celebrated, this week has more or less religious connotations and more or less importance. We want to show you the differences between the one that takes place in the United Kingdom and the one that takes place in Spain. Spanish Holy Week is celebrated with famous , which are manifestations of faith by the faithful, organized normally by brotherhoods. These brotherhoods carry over their shoulders different religious images, also called in Spanish “pasos”, related to the Passion of Christ. Another curiosity to take into account is that during the Spanish Holy Week Spaniards decorate and eat chocolate eggs called “La mona de pascua”. Finally, as an interesting fact for those who do not know anything about the Spanish Holy Week, during 40 days since the Holy Week begins, any faithful can eat meat on Fridays, they are called Lent Fridays. English Easter is called Easter Week. The first curiosity of this English festival is its name. While in the Spanish case the name is totally related with religion, in the name comes from the Anglo-Saxon word “Eostre” which means April, the month when it is celebrated. Within this week there are two more important days: and Easter Sunday. During the Good Friday, English people eat for breakfast buns with raisins and a cream cross. These buns are made to remember Jesus and are called Hot Cross Buns. The Easter Sunday, which can be considered as the day with more relevance of the whole week, is important not only due to different religious events such as the Eucharist Easter which takes place in many English churches in order to remember the death and , where British citizens come and light an Easter candle, but also because is the day of the famous Easter eggs or chocolate eggs. In addition to eating cooked eggs and exchanging decorated eggs, during that day it is celebrated the traditional Egg Roll, which consists of throwing decorated eggs down a hill. The winner is the one whose egg comes down without breaking.

SAME WORLD, DIFFERENT PEOPLE By Eduardo Viña, 1º Bach A

Have you ever realised that people are more different than you think? That the person standing, sitting, lying next to you is absolutely, in more way than one, different than you. We are never going to be equally alike but that´s good. Diversity is the greatest power and knowledge we can behold. But there is another type of difference between us that isn´t good at all. That should be equality rather than its opposite.

WATCH OUT FOR THE GAP!

More than a gap, it´s a giant hole that basically divides gender. And for what? The answer was never clear to me, because no one practically explained it to me. At the end of the day, we are all flesh and bone filled with blood. Women aren´t being paid the same as men, and that´s a fact. A disgusting fact that in its glory makes no sense at all. A woman that spends the SAME amount of money as a man to go to a university will earn less than the man for the SAME job. And the main question is, why?

No matter others think, we should keep on reaching the equality that keeps on getting closer. I´d like to think that my children will live in a world where we don´t associate some jobs for having more equality than others, and start associating all professions with equal pay. Both men and women can help change this faster, just by standing together and trying to get a point across works more wonders than most people think. No more shall women be treated this way. Let´s bring about EQUAL PAY!

RELATIONSHIPS

By Nuria Gallego, 1º Bach A

Today, love is the most important emotion of humans. There are many kinds of love, but everyone searches for a romantic relationship with a partner or a soul mate.

Many relationships fail because people don´t have good communication, don´t express their feelings when they are angry, they argue too much and don´t trust on their couple. Our relationships are a significant element in our lives; sometimes they can be difficult and hard but people aren´t perfect and couples often fight. In addition, there are many things to do if you want a healthy relationship.

We are going to see five tips to have a good relation with the person you love:

1. People must have a life on their own: When people do everything together they get bored easily, but if the two people have their friends, activities, work, hobbies... without the other one, they will have more desire to see each other.

2. Showing interest: People have to show interest in the other one in a relationship; ask the other person what he/she is doing, inviting him/her to do things...

3. Respect: A relationship should be based both on respect and trust, which are essential in the couple´s life (one example of this is giving preferences to the other person things).

4. Solve problems: In healthy relationships people try to find ways to reduce their conflicts, every problem has a solution, we must be patient and listen to the other.

5. Don´t get married: many experts say that the person changes when they get married, they become more nervous and stubborn.

AGÜITA, STOP USING SO MUCH PLASTIC!!!

A day out with Rafael Mesa

By 3º ESO

1. So here we were having a talk about what we were going to do and how we could help clean our beaches. We were put in groups and we learned how to clean out a certain part of the beach with the materials we were given. We also had to fill out some pages with information, and once all the groups had collected enough plastic and rocks we cleaned and weighed them and in the end we found out which group weighted the most. 2.

Here are some more photos of the talk and explanation of what we were going to do.

3 In this photo you can see all of us listing and finding out what we was going to do and what all of the materials were.

4

Here is one of the groups getting ready to start finding as much plastic as possible in the part of the beach that they were given.

5 Here are two people from one of the groups shacking out some sand to single out micro- plastic, pieces of pitch and some rocks found in the sand.

6

Here again is another person shacking out sand like in the photo before.

7

Here is when one of the groups started to clean and sort out what they got from the part of the beach that they were cleaning out.

8

Here again is a photo of the shacking of the sand process, where you can see all the plastic and rubbish that was collected from one scoop of sand.

9

Here we have one group’s bottle of plastic and as you can see it is getting weighed, to see how much plastic and rubbish they collected from their part of the beach.

10

Here you can see everyone going over there sheets and writing down the weight of plastic from every group.

11

Here you can see the weight of plastic each group has collected.

12

Here again is another group writing down and checking all of their facts and weights.

13

As you can see everyone is talking and checking that they have the right facts and measurements.

14

In this photo we were having another talk about plastic and the beaches and the environment, and how we can help try and make this planet better.

CYBERBULLYING

By David Martinez, 1º Bach B

I am going to talk about the cyber bullying, the cyber bullying is a process of bullying but the difference is that this one is through internet; it can be done with the phone, tablets, computer, etc.

This word is more frequently seen in the news, but why? Today people use the social networks to talk with other people, people who talk in social network sometimes are under 18 years old, and the thing is that a lot of people use applications to say bad things of other person and that can be a big problem, for example the victim can suffer from psychological problems.

Regarding this, a lot of people ask themselves different questions, as for example, when can we think one person is being a victim of cyber bullying?

This type of harassment is usually given by teenagers from about 12 years, it is the age at which children begin ESO and they start using new technologies. Maybe they use them too much. In order to know if our son is being a victim of cyber bullying, we must be very attentive to the signals he shows us during the use of his mobile, computer or internet. Although the mobile phone would be the subject of another article, should a 12 year old child own mobile phone?

ONLINE DATING By Inés Hernández, 1º Bach A Experiences with online dating tend to be mixed. Some people have excellent experiences with online dating that end in satisfying relationships. Others have stories that are just confusing and frustrating.

PROS:  Online dating provides individuals with access to many more partners than they could find in their daily lives.  Online dating offers a number of ways to get to know a potential date before meeting in person.  The conversation flows much more easily with an online relationship as opposed to face-to-face dating. We are able to write and to come across smarter or funnier than when we are face to face. CONS:  People lie about their age, weight, height, income, and marital status. Singles get frustrated after a few bad dates.  The greatest danger of online dating is that you are really open to be swindled.

 There are free online websites where you can meet people but the online websites which you have to pay for are more popular; People pay around 25 to 55 dollar monthly.

Therefore, it is important to have a balance between pros and cons. These pros and cons can help you decide what is best for you based on your values.

A Tribute to Stephen Hawking…

(By 3º ESO)

th …who died last March 14 at the age of Stephen Hawking in his own 76. words: The iconic physicist is known as one of On curiosity the greatest scientific minds in the "So remember, look at the stars and not history of the world, and worked to peer at your feet." -- At the Sydney Opera into the most mysterious parts of the House in 2015. universe.

On God Stephen Hawking left behind "God may exist, but science can explain provocative as well as comical quotes: the universe without the need for a creator.” -- In a 2010 CNN interview. On persistence "However difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. It matters that you don't just give up." -- At an Oxford University Union speech in 2016

On his appearance "Unfortunately, Eddie [Redmayne] did not inherit my good looks." -- Of the Oscar-winning actor who portrayed him in "The Theory of Everything." On the universe "It would not be much of universe… if it wasn’t home to the people you love."

Stephen Hawking Biography Scientist, Physicist(1942–2018)

Scientist Stephen Hawking was known for his ground- breaking work with black holes and relativity, and was the author of several popular science books including 'A Brief History of Time.'

Birth date: January 8, 1942, this is the 300th anniversary of the death of the astronomer and physicist Galileo Galilei. Birthplace: Oxford, England (grew up in and around London) Birth name: Stephen William Hawking Father: Frank Hawking, a doctor and research biologist Mother: E. Isobel Hawking Marriages: Elaine Mason (1995-2006, divorce); Jane Wilde (1965-1991, divorce) Children: with Jane Wilde: Timothy, Lucy and Robert Education: Oxford University, B.A., 1962; Cambridge University, Ph.D., 1966

He was the 17th Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, an academic chair at Cambridge University. From 1669 to 1702, the position was held by Sir Isaac Newton. He guest-starred, as himself, on "The Big Bang Theory," "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "The Simpsons." Lou Gehrig's Disease (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or ALS), is usually fatal after three years. Hawking survived it for 50 years. The disease left him paralyzed and completely dependent on others and/or technology for everything: bathing, dressing, eating, mobility and speech. He was able to move only a few fingers on one hand. His speech synthesizer had an American accent.

ENGLISH CAN SAVE LIVES:

THE MAN THAT WAS SAVED BY US

By Diego Cabrera and Noah Niz, 1º Bach A

It was the 10th of December, a day like any other; we were having a nice time in the sports port of Puerto Calero. Noah Niz and his loyal partner Diego Cabrera were on board of the ship NOALEX when, after a few minutes, Diego managed to listen an unusual sound; curiosity led the sailor go out to investigate and to his surprise, he found something very shocking, a 70 years old man lying on the edge of the sidewalk next to the water. Immediately, Diego called Noah and they tried to save the man.

They started communicating with him when they noticed he was English, so they were able to speak English. But the man found it hard to talk, because he was in a bad position and they didn’t know after a while that he couldn’t walk normally because he had a problem in the knee. Finally, they could put him in a comfortable position and called the emergency services. They explained him the situation and tried to calm him while he waited for the emergency services came for helping.

It was a very important day for us, since we helped to save a person!

ART

By Zoe Mejías, 1º Bach B

Art doesn’t have a standard definition; it could be described as quiddity or even as an essential activity in human’s life. Art belongs to the essential of the human being since the beginning of time; just think that primitive men were already painting in their caves. Art is music, painting, architecture, or literature, all created by the human being, the artist imagining things to make it happen and help us to understand reality. The artist is inspired by all that surround him. The creation isn’t subjective as it’s the reality that the artist feels in that very moment. Art is not taken seriously as it doesn’t have a practical use. Practicality, for us, in the 21st century, is technology, that’s why art needs to fight to find its way in the society that we are living. The way to meet that goal is for the human being to make art and give that creation a certain value. Art is not always the reflection of reality, it can show beauty or mystery and some creations can be awesome even though they are not master pieces. The meaning of this text is to say that if art did not exist, things would have been different in our society in the past and as a consequence now. For instance, what would have been Spain without Don Quijote de la Mancha o Italy without Dante? Now we’ll be all thinking of the pieces of art we know belonging to paintings, sculptures or music and we couldn’t picture our universe without them.

THINK POSITIVE – 3º ESO

VOLLEYBALL IN LANZAROTE

By Sofía Barderas, 1º Bach A

Volleyball is a sport that is played with a ball, with two teams (each one with six players) and a field divided by a central net. The objective of the game is trying to get the ball to the ground of the opposite field above the net, while the other team tries to prevent it. Each team has a maximum of three touches to get the ball to the opposite field that should be dry. Some of the faults in this sport are: - When a person touches the ball twice consecutively. - When you get out and touch the line of the field. - When the number of allowed touches is exceeded. - When the rotation is bad. - When instead of having a dry touch, there is retention of the ball. In Lanzarote, unfortunately, there aren’t many famale teams that are federated, there are only two and not in all categories. The volleyball Geranios club is one; it is situated in Playa Honda, where there are Cadet (14-16 years old) and Juvenile (16-19 years old) categories. In the Guenia volleyball Club there are lower categories, Fry (10-12 years old), Infantile (12-14 years old) and Cadet, they train in Taiche’s pavilion from 16:00 to 18:00 pm every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. These two categories play in the league with Fuerteventura because this way the league would have more teams (because in Fuerteventura there is only one club). This last club has a senior team (+18 years old). This team is the only one on the island; therefore, his league is against Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, because there isn’t in Fuerteventura. They train in Arrecife with the Juveniles in Arrecife every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 20:00-22:00 pm.

Unfortunately, on the island there isn’t any volleyball male team. Also there are many umpires or coaches that are trying to promote this sport among girls and boys so they can enjoy and practice it more and more.

HANDBALL: My perspective. Handball seen from the perspective of a goalkeeper When you see me sad because I´ve lost a really important match, or just cause I didn´t gave all what I could have given they say to me "Don´t be like that, that´s just handball", don´t lose so much time for that "You are just playing". What they don´t understand is the covered distance, the time used or the hours involved for "Just handball". I don´t know how to explain what love is if you have never worn the t-shirt of your club and felt its colours. How to explain what pain is if you´ve never stopped a decisive goal. How do you explain what´s pleasure if you have never won the classic? How do you explain what suffer is if you had never lost a match on the last second? How to explain what love is if you had never touch the ball like if it was part of you? How do I explain to someone what poetry is if he has never stopped a counterattack? How should I explain to someone what friendship is if your teammates have never cheered you up when you collapsed in the middle of a match? How do you explain what panic is if you have never been tied up on a match that you had won? How to explain what frustration is if you had never lost a final? How do you explain what solitude is if you had never had to stop shot from 7 meters without anyone helping or defending you? How do I explain what is effort if you had never trained more hours than the ones you should? How to explain what is art if you never did a spectacular pass to one of your mattes that was on the other part of the court? How should someone explain what music is if you have never sung the anthem of your club? How to explain what happiness is if you and your team have never won a match even though the referee tried to avoid it? How to explain what hatred is if nobody has ever scored you the goal that made you lose the match? How to explain what is the injustice if a referee had never stole you a match? How to explain what sadness is if your trainer never lets you out of the meeting of an important match? How to explain what is the feeling of been alive if you have never played the game that gives life to so many people? How could I explain what is live if you have never played Handball?

A MAN COMPLETED TRIATHLON WHILE HE WAS JUGGLING

By Sara González, 1º Bach A

Shahar Cohen has juggled while swimming, running and riding a bike. But he had never done all three sports in a race until now. He completed the three part of the triathlon juggling up to three balls at the same time. In this triathlon around 300 people participated, and Shahar Cohen was the only one who juggled during the race (approximately 20 km). It took two and a half hour to complete it.

The triathlon took place in China, where Shahar Cohen has been living; he has worked on his juggling supply company. He has created around 35 new revolutionary juggle products. For example, a LED ball that changes colour depending on how you touch, or another which weighs more than six times the usual ball. When he finished the triathlon he was very happy, and quickly he looked for his next adventure. He wants to run up the staircase of the Empire State Building this 2018. When the journalist asked him why he did this, Cohen smiled and said: “Why not?” Shahar Cohen thinks that sometimes people take the sports and the competitions so seriously, and they are forgetting what this is all about...

Basketball? Handball? No, it’s NETBALL!

Netball is particularly popular in the UK, Australia and New Zealand and I have played this wonderful game since I was at primary school. It is a team sport which is similar to both basketball and handball. There are seven players on each team and they each wear a bib which shows the name of the position they play. Players must throw the ball to one another and the aim of the game is to pass the ball to the ‘Goal Shooter’ or ‘Goal Attack’ who can shoot the ball into the net to score a goal. However, the key aspects of netball are that you cannot bounce the ball and you cannot move your feet when you have the ball. This is called the footwork rule and it can be quite difficult to grasp for young children playing the game! A full match lasts for one hour and in a single match often about 100 goals are scored which shows what a fast-paced and exciting game netball is!

Netball is typically played by women and girls. However, at many universities, there are mixed netball leagues in which teams must have both male and female players. In the UK, there are many different schemes to try to inspire people to play netball. One such scheme is called ‘Back to Netball’ which encourages women who have not played netball since they were at school to rediscover their love for the sport and get back on the court! Walking netball is another variation of the sport aimed at older women and those who want to exercise in a gentler way. So, why not watch a video of netball online and then have a go for yourself? Or, why not tell your P.E. teacher to give it a try at school?

The court & goal post with two players

THANKS FOR READING!